Softwr

CRM · head to head

EspoCRM vs Freshservice

EspoCRM logo

EspoCRM

CRM

AGPL open source CRM in PHP that you can self-host free or buy as cloud with seat minimums

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Freshservice logo

Freshservice

Customer Support

Modern IT service management

From
$19/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only EspoCRM has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: EspoCRM the AGPLv3 licence obliges you to publish source modifications if you make the modified software available over a network, which blocks resellers who want to offer a customised hosted version without opening their code.; Freshservice change, problem and release management require the Pro plan at $99 per agent per month, so core ITIL processes sit two tiers up
  • They diverge on capability: EspoCRM covers Entity manager, Freshservice covers Incident management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which EspoCRM and Freshservice actually diverge.

Attributes where EspoCRM and Freshservice differ
AttributeEspoCRMFreshservice
Starting priceFree$19/month
Pricing modelPer user per monthsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Linux, Docker, iOS, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android
CategoryCRMCustomer Support
FoundedUnknown2010

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in EspoCRM

  • Entity manager
  • Dynamic logic
  • Email integration
  • Sales pipeline
  • Case management
  • Reports and dashboards
  • Workflow automation
  • REST API

Only in Freshservice

  • Incident management
  • Asset management
  • Change management
  • Knowledge base
  • Automation
  • Reporting
  • Slack
  • Microsoft Teams

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

EspoCRM

  • A small business that wants a CRM on its own hosting with no per-seat fee and no vendor holding its customer datanot Freshservice
  • A public sector or healthcare team with data residency rules that rule out US-hosted commercial CRMnot Freshservice
  • A developer or agency needing a CRM whose data model can be extended into a bespoke entity structure through configurationnot Freshservice
  • An organisation with many light users, where self-hosting avoids paying seat prices for people who open the CRM twice a monthnot Freshservice

Freshservice

  • IT service management and internal help desk ticketingnot EspoCRM
  • Asset management and change control for IT teamsnot EspoCRM

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

EspoCRM

  • The AGPLv3 licence obliges you to publish source modifications if you make the modified software available over a network, which blocks resellers who want to offer a customised hosted version without opening their code.
  • Cloud plans carry seat minimums of three, five and ten users, so a two-person consultancy pays for three seats and a small team wanting the Ultimate features pays for ten.
  • Record ceilings are real on the cheaper cloud tiers, with Basic capped at 100,000 records, and hitting the cap means a tier upgrade rather than a small overage charge.
  • Marketing automation, sequences and native telephony are thin compared with HubSpot or Zoho, so most deployments end up wiring in a separate mailing tool and a separate dialler.
  • Self-hosting shifts the entire cost to your own team: PHP version upgrades, database backups and security patching are yours, and a neglected instance becomes an internet-facing liability holding your customer list.

Freshservice

  • Change, problem and release management require the Pro plan at $99 per agent per month, so core ITIL processes sit two tiers up
  • Every plan includes only 100 ITAM asset units, with more sold separately regardless of tier
  • Orchestration transactions are metered monthly, from 1,000 on Starter to 20,000 on Enterprise, with extra packs at $250 per 1,000
  • The Freddy AI copilot is a $29 per agent per month add on on top of Pro or Enterprise
  • Sandbox and audit logs are Enterprise only, which carries no published price

Pricing, plan by plan

EspoCRM

Free
  • Self-hostedFree
    • AGPLv3 licence, no fee
    • Runs on PHP with MySQL or MariaDB
    • Advanced Pack, Sales Pack and other extensions sold separately as one-off purchases
  • Cloud Basic$15/month
    • Three-user minimum
    • 3GB storage per user
    • Up to 100,000 records
  • Cloud Enterprise$25/month
    • Five-user minimum
    • 10GB storage per user
    • Up to 10 million records, extendable for a fee
  • Cloud Ultimate$69/month
    • Ten-user minimum
    • 400GB total storage
    • Unlimited records

Freshservice

$19/month
  • Starter$19/month
    • Incident management
    • Knowledge base
    • Self-service portal
  • Growth$49/month
    • Asset management
    • Approval workflows
    • SLA management
  • Pro$95/month
    • Problem management
    • Change management
    • Release management
  • Enterprise$119/month
    • Freddy AI
    • Audit logs
    • Custom SSL

Which should you pick?

Choose EspoCRM if

  • You need entity manager.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux, Docker, iOS, Android.
  • You also want dynamic logic.
EspoCRM review

Choose Freshservice if

  • You need incident management.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want asset management.
Freshservice review

Questions people ask

Is EspoCRM or Freshservice better?
Neither clearly leads. EspoCRM starts at Free and Freshservice at $19/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, EspoCRM or Freshservice?
EspoCRM has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for EspoCRM and $19/month for Freshservice.
Does EspoCRM or Freshservice run on more platforms?
EspoCRM runs on Web, Linux, Docker, iOS, Android. Freshservice runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use EspoCRM for free?
Yes. EspoCRM has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Freshservice starts at $19/month.
What is EspoCRM best used for?
EspoCRM is most often used for a small business that wants a crm on its own hosting with no per-seat fee and no vendor holding its customer data, a public sector or healthcare team with data residency rules that rule out us-hosted commercial crm, a developer or agency needing a crm whose data model can be extended into a bespoke entity structure through configuration, an organisation with many light users, where self-hosting avoids paying seat prices for people who open the crm twice a month. Of those, a small business that wants a crm on its own hosting with no per-seat fee and no vendor holding its customer data and a public sector or healthcare team with data residency rules that rule out us-hosted commercial crm are not what Freshservice is typically brought in for.
What can EspoCRM do that Freshservice cannot?
EspoCRM covers Entity manager, Dynamic logic, Email integration, Sales pipeline. Freshservice covers Incident management, Asset management, Change management, Knowledge base.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

EspoCRM: Is the self-hosted version really full featured?

The core CRM is, but several paid extension packs including Advanced Pack for reports and BPM are sold separately as one-off purchases and are not in the free download.

Freshservice: How much does Freshservice cost?

Freshservice is priced per agent per month on annual billing: Starter at $19, Growth at $49 and Pro at $99. Enterprise is quoted by sales. Freshworks states annual billing is 20% cheaper than monthly.

Source
EspoCRM: What are the cloud seat minimums?

Three users on Basic, five on Enterprise and ten on Ultimate, so the advertised per-user rate is not the smallest bill you can pay.

Freshservice: Does Freshservice have a free trial?

Yes. Freshworks states you get free unrestricted access to all features available in Freshservice for 14 days after sign up, plus 3 free Day Passes for occasional agents.

Source
EspoCRM: What does it need to run?

PHP, MySQL or MariaDB and a web server. It installs on ordinary shared hosting or a small VPS, which is unusual for a modern CRM.

Freshservice: Which Freshservice plan includes change management?

Problem management, change management, major incident management and release management all start on the Pro plan at $99 per agent per month. The Growth plan at $49 covers service catalog, SLA and on-call management.

Source
EspoCRM: Can I move from cloud to self-hosted later?

Yes. EspoCRM states customers own their database and data files, so an export and reinstall is possible, though you take on all maintenance when you do.

Freshservice: How much does Freddy AI cost on Freshservice?

Freddy AI Copilot is an optional add-on at $29 per agent per month on the Pro plan. The Freddy AI Agent in its Classic form is included on the Enterprise plan.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on EspoCRM

More on Freshservice

Keep looking

Other head to heads